A space memorabilia auction featuring The Neil Armstrong Family Collection™ realized more than $7.4 million Saturday, Nov. 3, at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas.

Armstrong’s personally owned memorabilia – spanning a childhood letter to the Easter Bunny to the Apollo 11 ID Plate from the module he used to become the first person to walk on the Moon – sold for $5.2 million.

First of three auctions

The sale is the first of three auctions scheduled through 2019 of the legendary astronaut’s lifelong collection.

The Armstrong Family Collection™ is an extraordinary archive, chronicling the life and career of one of the most historic figures of the 20th century through the lens of the objects he loved, collected, and preserved for decades. Much of the Apollo 11 Mission Commander’s collection had never before been seen by the public or offered for sale.

The Largest Size American Flag, measuring 17-3/4 inches by 11-1/2 inches, Armstrong kept as a treasured Apollo 11 souvenir, sold for $275,000.

Wright stuff

Two evocative relics commemorating mankind’s command of the air, a piece of the propeller and section of the wing fabric from Orville and Wilbur Wright’s invention of the first successful airplane, sold for $275,000 each. The relics from the Wright Brother’s historic flight were carried to the Moon just 66 years later when Armstrong’s made his footprint on the lunar surface.

Credit: Neil Armstrong Family Collection/Heritage Auctions

Armstrong’s light blue owned and worn Gemini flight suit, a rare, surviving memento of his legendary work on the Project Gemini program soared to $109,375, more than five times its $20,000 pre-auction estimate.

Authentication guaranty

To preserve and document the collection’s authenticity and provenance for generations to come, the Armstrong family and Heritage collaborated with Collectibles Authentication Guaranty (CAG) to accurately attribute and certify every item.

The unique Gemini 8 Flown 14 karat Gold Pin, Armstrong gave to his wife Janet, which he carried to space in a small Personal Preference Kit, sold for $17,500.

A Crayon Coloring of Flowers, from the first grade with a note from his mother, sold for $15,000.

Credit: Neil Armstrong Family Collection/Heritage Auctions

A lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts, Armstrong’s Own Scouts Flat Field Hat sold for $12,000.

A Handwritten Letter to the Easter Bunny, possibly the earliest signed item ever offered from Neil Armstrong, sold for $4,000.

Heritage Auctions’ presentation of The Neil Armstrong Family Collection™ Part II is May 9-10, 2019, with a third and final sale set for November 2019.